Freedom in Your Eyes
by AmeliaDarkholme
Summary: You are no longer the Dark Lord, Tom. You can change it all. Don't waste this last chance you have.
1. Him

**CHARACTERS:**

Tom Riddle : Douglas Booth

Lily Luna Potter : Saoirse Ronan

 **NOTES:** The story is set during Lily Luna's time, so the plot begins around two years after the Epilogue. It will be separated into three parts ( _Him, Her,_ and _Them)_ , and I'll admit, that the idea comes from the movie _The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby_ (2014 – directed by Ned Benson). Title is from the song _Hurts_ by Help, and the quote is from _Inception_ (2010 – directed by Christopher Nolan). If you've never heard of the song, or watch the movies, you should go check them out! They're really good :)

 **DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing.

* * *

 ** _You're waiting for a train_**

 ** _A train that will take you far away_**

Everything was white. And light. And so, so, _so bright._ He stood alone, no longer wearing his dark robe. Instead, he was wearing his old worn-out black pants and raggedy sweater – the same outfit he had worn the morning before he killed his first kill; his own uncle. His throat tightened as he observed that his hands were no longer waxy and cold, remembering the last time he saw his hands weren't skeletal-looking was that day before he created his first Horcrux. He was _dead,_ wasn't he? So what the hell had happened to him now? He grew up as a Christian back in the orphanage, and he couldn't help himself when he wondered whether he went to what the Muggles believed as Hell. Because surely, after everything he did, after all the lives he took, after all that he destroyed, he wouldn't end up in Heaven.

 _You are no longer the Dark Lord, Tom._

 _Tom._ It had been so long since anyone, other than Dumbledore and that wretched _boy_ , had called him by his birth name. He had hated his name. _His filthy, Muggle father's name –_ that was how he called it. It wasn't the fact that his name was so common and so ordinary and so… _common._ No, he hated it because he was named after the man who abandoned his mother. When he heard his name being called one more time, his head whipped around, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice. He appeared to be alone. Where was he anyway? Everything was white, blindingly white. It wasn't a place he thought he would visit once he was dead. It felt too… _serene_ _,_ he could sense that much. _So, it wasn't Hell, but where was he?_ He'd died, hadn't he? And wasn't death supposed to be bleak and depressing?

"Where am I?" he demanded.

Suddenly, images began to form – images from his past. His days terrorising the kids in the orphanage, then moved to that time when he set the Basilisk loose. He saw himself killing his uncle, taking the precious Gaunt ring right from Morfin's cold, dead body. He watched impassively at his past-self slaughtering the whole Riddle family, barely blinking when his past-self used his bare-hand to squeeze the life out of that young boy, who he presumed could only be his half-brother. It went on and on, showing all the horrible things he had done in his life. When it reached his last memory, Harry Potter's face being the last thing he saw before the Killing Curse he sent at the boy went right back at him, he couldn't stop himself from flinching.

He had _died._ All because of that four-eyed brat.

 _You can change it all. You can have another chance. Turn your life around, Tom. Make it all better._

Another chance. Another chance at world-domination. Another chance at getting rid off the filth that pestered the world. He would have to go through the pesky process of growing up again, of going through the _painful_ phase of puberty. But in the end, if he got what he wanted, if he _succeeded,_ it would be worth it. He would truly conquer the world, just like he knew it was destined for him since he realised he wasn't normal.

"Fine. I'll take it," he answered, an evil glint in his cold eyes.

 _Don't waste this last chance you have, Tom. You will never get another._

Oh, he wouldn't waste it, alright. This time, he'd make sure that no meddlesome brat from a stupid prophecy would get in his way to conquer the world. He would be _the_ greatest wizard of all time, and that would be it. He would prove Dumbledore how _wrong_ that old coot was.

He would prove that love could _never_ be the most powerful thing in the world.

* * *

 _"Congratulations, Mrs Scamander! You have a healthy baby boy!"_

 _"Oh, Rolf, isn't he the most beautiful thing ever? Look at his eyes! I bet he can see Wrackspurt without the help of Daddy's glasses. He's going to be the most brilliant boy in his year."_

 _"Of course, Luna. He's our son. He's going to be as perfect as you are."_

 _"I'm going to name him Thomas. After that Muggle book you love."_

 _"What? Tom Sawyer? Sweetheart, are you sure you want to name our brilliant boy such…simple and mediocre name?"_

 _"Tom Sawyer is a special boy, and our son will grow up to be just as special, if not more. My Thomas will shock the world with his intelligence and compassion, the same way Tom Sawyer did. And even if he fails, it doesn't matter to me. He's_ my _son, and I'll always love him no matter what."_

 _"Alright, alright. You can name him whatever you want. Just don't monopolise our son too much. A growing boy needs his father too, you know. And I will be the best father_ ever."

* * *

For as long as Tom could remember, he had _always_ known about his past-life. The moment he was old enough to be aware of his surrounding, he had known all along that this wasn't the first time round he went through this whole growing-up thing. He was probably around five years old when he remembered everything. The memories came little by little, and by the time he was ten, he'd remembered it all. The older he got, the more vivid the details were. He had to admit that it was a little unsettling to have memories of himself as a seventy-year-old man when he hadn't even gone Hogwarts yet _._ But it mattered not to him. He went through his days with other thoughts bothering him. Namely how different his life this time than it was almost a century prior. Tom couldn't help himself from comparing both of his childhood.

Back then, Tom was born in an orphanage where he didn't fit in, and lived with other unfortunate children who had called him freaks growing up. He hadn't known whom his parents were until it was very late. He grew up to be an angry-child who hated the world, all because of a cowardice father who wouldn't own up to his responsibility, and a weak mother who was foolishly in love with a jerk. For all his life until his death, Tom had no one that he could count on. He had followers, but none of them _cared_ for him the way he had always craved deep in his heart. His Death Eaters were loyal to him, but it was out of fear, or for their insane obsession for the power and purification of the world that he promised them. He never minded it before, the fact that he was alone, because he never knew what he'd missed. You couldn't miss what you never had, right?

This time though, everything was _different._

Tom had a mother now, and she was every bit the kind of woman he had always wished for. She was a little weird and sometimes, Tom had no idea what she was talking about. But he _loved_ her. The feeling was weird, and when he first felt it, he thought he was feeling a little under the weather when his heart warmed at the way she ruffled his hair when he proudly showed her the little Niffler he got from great Grandpa Newt. And that time when his mother got sick because she accidentally ate a bad-mushroom, Tom was positive that he was _ill_ when he felt tears prickling in the back of his eyes. Tom had _never_ cried before. Not even when the older kids in the orphanage would lock him in the cupboard when he was still little, leaving him in the dark and cramped space for hours until Mrs Cole found him there. But the thought that his mother was going to _die_ when he'd only experienced having one for a _decade,_ it nearly killed him. He once wondered why was love so _good_ when it could be painful. But wouldn't trade it for anything though.

He would _never_ give Luna Scamander up.

If having a mother weirded him out so much, he wouldn't even begin with his father. His father back then was the reason why everything had turned out so bad. So naturally, Tom hated Tom Riddle senior. But his father in this second-life he had was nothing like his previous one. Despite being one of the _best_ student Hogwarts had ever seen, Tom had never, in his past life, flown on a broom. He never had anyone to show him how, and he never had the money to buy a broom. Besides, he always thought flying on a broom was silly when he could always Apparate anywhere. His father now not only made sure he had a decent broom, but also made sure that he was taught how to become a fair flyer. It turned out, like everything was about Tom, he was _more_ than fair. Following in his great Grandpa Newt's footsteps, Tom would later become a Chaser, and was one of the best in his year. When he was asked who had taught him to fly that well, Tom would proudly say that his _father_ did. In his past-life, Tom never thought that there would be a day that he would adore his father.

That he was _proud_ to be Rolf Scamander's son.

Slowly, without realising it, Tom had forgotten his initial intention on taking that second chance. He never forgot who he was, but he no longer remembered his genocidal desires. All he cared about was how he could make his _parents_ proud of him – how he could keep that smile on his kind mother's face, and how to keep that boisterous laugh coming from his father. After all, he was no longer Tom Riddle with the awful agenda to conquer the world.

He was Tom _Scamander_ now.

* * *

 _Red hair. Blue eyes._

 _Dumbledore had once likened him to a magpie. Just like the bird, he too was very easily attracted to shiny, pretty things. In his mind, something that was physically beautiful could only be the best – and all he had ever wanted was the best, both as Riddle or as Scamander. It was probably why he was so attracted to_ her. _From the moment he saw her, he was immediately drawn to her like a magpie would to shiny things._

 _Red hair. Blue eyes. Skin pale and unblemished, safe for the light freckles that dusted her cheek. When she smiled, he was convinced he had never seen anything more lovelier. She was the angel to his devil; the perfect opposite of the evilness that he represented._

 _It was just a pity that_ no one _seemed to see that._

 _("Tom, this is Lily. Promise me that you will_ always _protect her, okay?")_

 _("Pomise, Mum. Lily safe wiv Tom.")_

* * *

Tom wasn't at all shocked that he was once again Sorted into Slytherin. No matter how much his parents' love and affection had changed him, he was still the same ambitious, cunning and manipulative _monster_ who would do everything he could to fulfill his needs. True, his end-goal had shifted greatly. But he never lost that thirst to prove himself that he _was_ superior to everyone else. He did feel a little disappointed though, because deep down, he had to admit, he sort of hoped that _at least_ he would get Sorted into Ravenclaw like his mother. After all, wasn't he supposed to be a changed man? To be an all-around better person? If he ended up in Slytherin again, wouldn't that mean he would be bad again?

But his musings were interrupted when the door to the Great Hall was slammed opened, revealing a young girl with fiery red hair being led inside by Rubeus Hagrid. Even from where he was seated, Tom could see her uncanny blue eyes shone brightly in excitement. When the girl waved excessively at him, the slightly older boy had to bite on his lip to stop himself from laughing. The ageing gatekeeper apologised profusely to Minerva McGonagall regarding the girl's late arrival, saying that she had sneaked into his hut to say hello. The Headmistress merely cocked an eye brow, giving both the half-giant and the little ginger a smile before nodding at her newly-appointed Deputy, Neville Longbottom, to take out the Sorting Hat again so they could Sort the girl.

"Potter, Lily," Longbottom called out, winking at the girl that Tom had known all his life, what with her being his mother's Goddaughter.

Tom watched from his seat as his best friend since forever took a seat on the stool, legs swinging back-and-forth in anticipation as she waited for her father's best friend to put the Hat on her. Everyone was waiting with baited breath, eyeing the last child of Harry Potter closely. Her brothers were giving her identical smiles, a spot was ready for her in the Gryffindor table. It felt like forever until the Hat finally made its decision. This was the longest it took the Hat to sort any of Potter's kids. The Hat barely grazed the James' head when it screamed out 'GRYFFINDOR' to everyone. It took the second-son Albus a little longer, and everyone was expecting him to end up in Slytherin, what with him befriending Draco Malfoy's son on the train ride to Hogwarts. But Albus too ended up in Gryffindor, joining Scorpius who was Sorted before him, much to everyone's utmost surprise. Almost five minutes passed when the Hat finally made its decision, and judging by the way the light dimmed in Lily's eyes, Tom could only guess what her House was.

 _"SLYTHERIN!"_

Tom was the only person to clap for the longest time, until he was followed by Albus and Scorpius. It was awhile later when everyone finally clapped for the shocked redhead. Taking small steps toward the Slytherin table, Lily looked like she had just received her death sentence. In a way, she just had. By getting Sorted into Slytherin, she very well just condemned herself to a life-time of bullying. No one would care that she resembled her mother very much, except for the eyes she seemed to inherit from her uncles and maternal grandfather. Everyone would only care about the fact that she was Sorted into the House of the Devil, when even Draco _Malfoy's_ _son_ was Sorted into Gryffindor.

"What did I do wrong, Tom?" the girl sobbed later that night as the two friends sat together by the fireplace in Slytherin's common room. "Am I secretly _that_ evil? Does this mean that I have disgraced my grandmother's legacy?"

"You've done nothing wrong," Tom said, awkwardly patting the redhead's knee. Even with his mother's influence now, Tom still found physical contact a little unsettling. "You're the kindest person I've ever known. There must be a reason why you're put in Slytherin, but I don't think it's because you're evil. I think that's because you're brilliant."

"Then why didn't the Hat put me in Ravenclaw? Why did it have to be _Slytherin_?"

 _(Yes. Why does_ she _have to be in Slytherin? She deserves better.)_

"Because I need you," Tom blurted out before he could stop himself. "I guess the Hat saw how close we are, and maybe he decided that we should stick together. After all, I _do_ need the company."

In an instant, Lily's state of distress faded away as she realised for the first time that he was Sorted into the 'wrong' house as well. " _Merlin's beard!_ I forgot that you too are stuck here! I am _so_ sorry for being so selfish. It must be so awful to you as well."

"I'll live. Don't worry," he assured her with a small smile. "As long as we're together, I'm sure nothing bad will happen."

 _(There was a time, when that Muggle Hitler was still around. When the Germans would drop tons of bombs down the streets of London. When he was born as a product of a Love Potion instead of actual love between his parents. There was a time when he lived in the orphanage with Mrs Cole and the other orphans, and he would spend every weekend waiting at the front-door of the orphanage, quietly hoping that one of the adults that came would be his parents. He was eight when a bully named Jimmy Rogers dumped a bucket of dirty water on him, laughing cruelly at his drenched sweater, saying that nothing good would ever happen to Tom because -)_

 _("-a freak like you only deserves to die like the filthy bastard you are, Riddle!")_

(Tom could still remember the way Jimmy Rogers screamed when Tom set him on fire.)

* * *

 _"Isn't she…?"_

 _"Yes, she is. The little abomination."_

 _"Sshh! She can hear you!"_

 _"Who cares? The devil needs to know her place anyway."_

 _"Don't say that too loudly. Her boy-toy won't be too happy to hear that."_

 _"I still don't understand why he's willing to put up with her."_

 _"Birds of the same feather. No doubt he's as twisted as she is."_

 _"The old professors once said that he reminded them of You-Know-Who. Maybe he_ is _that evil creep. And I dare bet that his demonic friend is Bellatrix Lestrange."_

 _("I am_ not _her!")_

* * *

Despite being in Slytherin, Tom became very popular among the students – just like he was nearly a century ago. His good-looks, combined with his beyond-compare intelligence, made life so much easier for him. There was also the fact that his parents' teachings changed him into a _good_ person, and that was definitely the reason why people liked him. He was top of his year, became a Chaser for Slytherin in his second year, and no one was surprised when he became a Prefect in his fifth-year. He was still a little aloof and awkward when it came to interacting with people, but at least he didn't see them as a potential threat that needed to be exterminated. That was just the way he was. It added to his charm though. By the time he was in his fourth year, he was everyone's favourite person. Boys wanted to be his friend, and girls wanted to be his girlfriend. Hell, he was pretty sure even some _boys_ wanted him as well. When he accidentally blurted it out to his parents about all the attention he was getting, he was worried that they'd find it suspicious. But they merely beamed at him and told him to always treat everyone nicely.

It was one of those rare times that Tom was thankful his parents were weird.

For the first time ever, Tom actually had _friends_ instead of followers. They weren't from his year though, seeing that most kids his age were too dumb for him. His friends were none others than Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy themselves, who were two years his senior. Being who they were, the two boys were a little paranoid when it came to making friends. But one day, they saw how eleven-year-old Tom was looking into DADA books for fourth-year, and it intrigued them, especially Scorpius who was the top of his year. Long story short, after the older boys asked him why was he reading books far more advanced for him, the three of them became friends. It mattered not that they weren't of the same age, and were from different Houses. Tom would never admit it out loud, but he actually _liked_ the two boys. They always listened to him, never treating him differently. Whenever he needed help, even if it was as trivial as getting him a book that was on the shelf that was too high for his younger self, they would _always_ help him. As years passed, Tom began to understand why Potter cherished his friends greatly. Your first love would always be your parents, but there was just something from your friends that you couldn't get from you parents, no matter how great they were.

If everything went swimmingly for Tom, the same couldn't be said about Lily. From the first morning after the Sorting, it seemed like everyone in Hogwarts was against her. The Slytherins were rather alright, actually. They mostly ignored her, acting as if she wasn't there. It was kids from other Houses who treated her horribly. They believed that there was something _wrong_ with her, and that she was probably the devil in disguise. It wasn't exactly helping that most of her cousins turned their backs on her, feeling a little embarrassed that their long-line of Gryffindor history was tainted by her. Even her oldest brother James didn't do much when he witnessed his friends picked on her. The only people who defended her were Tom, Albus and Scorpius. Albus and Scorpius made sure that the older kids would stay from Lily, while it only took little for Tom to channel his inner-evilness to scare the kids in his year so they wouldn't terrorise Lily. A lot of times he ended up serving detention because he lost control of his temper and punched someone in the face for making Lily cried.

But the three boys weren't always there, and Lily's tormentors seemed to realise that.

By the time they were in their fifth year, the girl Tom had known all his life began to change before his eyes. Lily was no longer the little spitfire who would smile and laugh over every little thing he did, who would give him hugs every morning, and would jump around instead of walk in her seemingly never-ending happiness. The redhead he adored became quiet and timid, who would bow her head in public and avoid everyone at all cost. She would take great lengths to make sure that she didn't stick out, and had long mastered the art of poker face whenever someone called her names. She even went as far as Charming her hair into a dull sandy-brown colour so she wouldn't attract too much attention. When Tom tried to defend her in her honour, she would pull at his hand, and shook her head no, wordlessly begging him to just quit it. The change in her worried Tom greatly, and he began to feel that his two oldest friends bubbling up inside of him.

 _Hate and anger._

Tom never flinched at the thought of murder. Even now as Scamander, if anyone ever spoke bad about his quirky mother or his awkward father, he never hesitated on sending a jinx at them.

For Lily, if they ever harm one single strand of her hair? He would make them all _bleed_.

* * *

 _The day Tom found out that his mother had a rough childhood shocked him to the core. His mother was the kindest and purest soul he'd ever known in both his past-life and current one. Sure, she could be a little weird at times. But Tom didn't think it was reason enough for anyone to treat her horribly. You shouldn't alienate someone just because they were different. He remembered all the times the kids in the orphanage would single him out, even though he realised that he wasn't exactly the easiest person to deal with. Back then, Tom really was a monstrous little thing. His mother though… She deserved to be treated like a queen because she deserved that – and_ more.

 _Just like his Lily._

 _"I hate to think that you went through all that bullying alone," thirteen-year-old Tom told his mother. "You're the nicest person I know. You didn't deserve that."_

 _"I don't think anyone deserves that, Tom," his mother replied. "But people have always feared differences, both Muggles and wizards alike. That's just the human nature."_

 _"It doesn't mean that it's_ right _though. Why don't_ anyone _ever stand up and help? It's not really that hard. All they need is to tell those idiots off."_

 _Tom was confused when his mother laughed, even though the sound pleased him. "That's because they're not you. I can never say that everyone is bad, or everyone is good. But you, my dear boy, you have_ good _in you."_

 _"Just like his mother," his father quipped, suddenly appearing behind his mother. "True, you have your moments that make me want to smack you for being a brat, but you do have good in you, Tom. And that's a good start."_

 _"You_ two _are good people," Tom said as his mind went back to his past. "You're the best for me."_

 _"Then that's why we're such an awesome family," his father said, winking cheekily at him, which brought a smile to Tom's face. "We're a family of the best people in the world."_

* * *

Tom was nearly sixteen when he first learned the Patronus Charm in his fifth year. The DADA teacher, who was none other than the young Teddy Lupin with his lanky built and neon blue hair, told the whole class that conjuring the Patronus Charm wasn't something that everyone could do so easily. Although he hated it, Tom had to admit that the blue-haired Metamorphmagus was right. As Riddle, what with his lack of love and happy thoughts, Tom was never able to conjure a Patronus Charm. He never tried to do it, he just _knew_ that he wouldn't be able to. Therefore, even though he was still a little sceptical, Tom was rather anxious to try it this time. He _had_ happy thoughts in this second life, and he sure loved his parents and would do anything for them. He hoped it was enough.

Everyone in the class began to shout the incantation of the spell, but no one seemed to be able to make anything but silver smoke that evaporated just seconds later. Throwing a brief glance all over the room, Tom made a small grin when he saw no one managed to conjure the Patronus yet. He quickly focused his mind though, when his nemesis, a stupid Ravenclaw going by the name Marcus Tophorn, cocked an eye brow in a challenging manner. Tom would never allow himself to be defeated, least of all by an idiot like Tophorn. The Slytherin took time to control his breathing, calming himself enough so he could gain inner peace. He then began to sort out his memories, picking out the happy ones before shoving the ugly ones to the deepest corner of his mind. He thought of the time his beloved mother hugged him after she recovered from the poisoning that nearly took her life, the time when his ever-supportive father declared that he would be the best Quidditch player _ever…_ But his greatest memory was back when he was a little over a year old, when Lily was just born.

 _("I pomise, Mum.")_

 _"Expecto Patronum!"_

There were two voices that rang out louder than the rest of the students, one of them was Tom. He watched with giddy excitement when a silver fox ran out of his wand, nuzzling on the crook of his neck affectionately. On the other side of the room, he saw that a silver swan was pecking Lily's head gently with love, and Tom realised that the other voice must be Lily's. Their eyes met, huge smiles began to grow on their faces as they waved at each other. It was then that the weirdest thing happened. Tom's fox looked up from his neck at the same time Lily's swan peeked from behind her legs. Before anyone could see it coming, the swan flew toward the fox, who ran to meet the bird halfway on its journey. Just when they looked like they were about to collide, the two animals transformed into two dolphins, male and female. Everyone in the room watched with wide eyes as the dolphins swam around in what seemed to be glee and absolute joy, making noises that Tom bet was the equivalent to human giggles.

"Whoa…" Hugo Weasley breathed in awe, the first person to break the silence. "I didn't know Patronuses could do that."

"Neither did I, kid," Teddy said, eyes still on the dolphins. "Neither did I."

 _("Why do you live?")_

 _("Because I have something worth living for.")_

That four-eyed prick was right. That bloody wretched _brat._

Not that Tom would admit it though.

* * *

 _"Are you mad? What are you doing? You could have died!"_

 _"Maybe I wanted to die, Tom! Has it ever crossed your mind that I_ don't _want to live?"_

 _"You're insane, Lil. You can't die. I won't allow it."_

 _"_ Don't _tell me what I can and cannot do. I'm so_ sick _of people telling me what to do."_

 _"Lil, I'm telling you;_ don't _jump. If you jump, I… I…"_

 _"You will what, Tom? Answer me."_

 _(Once upon a time, when Tom was only nine years old, as he was lying in his mother's bed with her arms around him, just hours after she recovered from a horrible case of food poisoning, he asked his mother why people loved when it hurt so much. All the woman said was, "Because it's not exactly living without a little love and pain.")_

* * *

His parents were so proud of him when he got the Head Boy badge. Even though he'd guessed that he would get the badge, he'd admit that he was still a little surprised to find it in his pile of mail. His father lost his badge to Percy Weasley, and his mother never finished her seventh year because she chose to take care of her traumatised father after the War. Thus, he came with the resolution that he'd be a _better_ Head Boy than he was back in his past life. It was easier said than done though. When he was still Riddle, the kids feared him and he had no one to care for. Whatever he did was all for his own interest. He could have resorted to using Dark Magic, and they wouldn't blab about it to anyone. This time though, while a lot of the kids still feared him, he had to control himself. If anyone ever found out about how he leaned more to the Dark Side, they would no doubt tell the professors about it, and that would lead to his parents. The last thing Tom wanted was for his parents to find the truth about him. So he tried his best to control his emotion, no matter how much he itched to use a Dark Magic. Even back when he was still Riddle, Tom was all about control.

But when he saw Marcus Tophorn, the seventh year Ravenclaw who had something against Tom, ripping the buttons of Lily's clothes while the girl was fighting with all her might to push the bastard off her, Tom simply lost it.

 _("No, no, no! Oh, Merlin, no… Help! Help me, ple – TOM! TOM, PLEASE HELP ME!")_

It was scary how easily he embraced the darkness within him, his constant company since ages ago.

It was a Saturday morning when Tom went to have breakfast and found Lily was nowhere in sight. She would usually meet him in the common room, and then they would walk together to the Great Hall. But ever since a certain _event_ not long ago, they hadn't been walking together much. However, since Lily would sometimes had an early start than he did to avoid people, which wasn't often, Tom thought nothing of it. He went to the Great Hall when the girls in his year told him Lily wasn't in the girls' dormitory. But when he couldn't find her in the Great Hall, he began to feel antsy. Lily rarely missed breakfast because she wouldn't survive the day without her daily orange juice. He began to feel like something wasn't right. The Head Boy quickly finished his breakfast so he could search for the girl. He spent nearly the whole morning looking for her, and was about to give up, when something tugged in him when he went past an empty classroom where he once made a Horcrux almost a century ago. He took out his wand and Dismantled all the Charms that Locked the door, all possible scenarios were filling up his head. Nothing prepared him for the sight of his sobbing flower about to get raped, screaming out her pleas as well as _begging_ for him, for _Tom,_ to save her.

All he saw was red before he attacked the Ravenclaw. Even though it had been _decades_ since he took a peek on his extensive knowledge of Dark Magic and used it on anyone, with all that rage and hatred in him, Tom had no difficulties at all. He fired hexes after hexes, and curses after curses, feeling himself consumed with the overwhelming desire to eradicate the _filth_ from the world. Tophorn had _hurt_ his Lily, and the scum would pay for it gravely. He had no doubt that he could have killed the Ravenclaw, if it wasn't for Lily small whisper of his name. Only then did Tom snap out of his insane rage. Blinking his eyes rapidly to gain his focus, Tom barely recognised it was Tophorn who was curling on his feet, nearly impossible to recognise with all the boils and blood and bruises covering every inch of his skin. The Head Boy's main concern was how _small_ and _broken_ Lily looked, lying not far from where he was with her ripped shirt and missing skirt. He felt an unbearable pain on his chest when he noticed that Lily was suffering from a broken arm, and that her blonde hair was matted with blood. Scooping her into her arms, totally indifferent to the fact that he nearly _killed_ his fellow school mate, Tom ran as fast as he could to the infirmary.

"Don't leave me, Lily," Tom whispered the whole way to Hospital Wing, his tears blurring his sight without him realising it. "Please, please, _please_ don't leave me. I can't…I can't…"

 _("We've all got both light and dark inside us.")_

 _(_ Don't take my light from me. I need my light. I need her. _I need her_.)

* * *

 _"Um… Hello, God. I uh… It's been a long time since I prayed to You. I think the last time I did it, that Hitler was still around and Muggles still smoked like a chimney. So, I'm really sorry if this isn't the correct way to…to start a prayer. As a wizard, a Pureblood now, I don't know whether You'll still hear me. Hell, I don't even know whether You even listen to Muggles_ for real _. But, for Lily, I guess I'll…take a chance on this whole praying-thing."_

 _No answer. Not like he was expecting for one._

 _He was talking to_ God. _Even with his limited knowledge, he knew God wouldn't answer him directly._

 _"Lily doesn't have a nice life. From the moment she was sorted into Slytherin – that's our House name, but I figure You know that already – she's been through a lot. Even her family sort of turn their backs on her. And it's_ really _not fair. Lily's the purest person I've ever known, second only to my mother Luna. Why would You condemned her to such a horrible life? I thought God was supposed to be fair. Why did You give Lily all those horrible things when You gave me, a monster, such a great life? That's wrong._ You _are wrong."_

 _Despite himself, he strained his hearing, hoping to hear something,_ anything.

 _Still, it was silent._

 _"God, if You're really there, if You're really listening, please make everything better for Lily. I… I don't know why You did what You did, but stop punishing her. I don't usually beg, but I am_ begging _You right now. Stop everything. Give her a better life. She deserves all the good things in this world, and so much more. If it doesn't come for free, then take whatever You need from me. I'd gladly trade my life for hers. My…my_ happiness _for hers. Just don't make her suffer anymore. Please…"_


	2. Her

**NOTES:** After almost a year, this bad boy finally came out :P Hope you guys like it.

* * *

 ** _You know where you hope_**

 ** _This train will take you_**

Ever since she was old enough to recognise her surrounding, all Lily Luna Potter had ever wanted was to go to Hogwarts. When her honorary-brother Teddy Lupin left his second year, at the age of two years old, Lily was already so sad to see him go. Teddy was always so good to her, always making sure he spent sometime with her, making her laugh as he changed his hair colour. So when Teddy boarded the train, Lily began to cry. Nothing seemed to cease her tears, and her parents were getting frustrated about it. But then she heard her Godmother's voice, and felt herself being lifted off her father's arms. Surprised, she stopped crying and blinked her tears away to see what just happened. She found herself sitting on a bench with her best fried Tom Scamander beside her. Tom was a weird child, always so quiet and so mature, even for someone who was only eight months older than herself. But he was always there for her, pretty much like Teddy always was. Lily liked Tom. He was her friend – her _only_ friend. There was Hugo too, but Hugo didn't want to be friends with girls. Tom didn't mind her, and she liked that about him. Sitting on the bench, he looked like any other two-year-olds, even though he was too quiet. His eyes were dead set on the train, but Lily saw his hand reached out to hold hers.

"Don't cry," the little boy said softly, sounding so old and so young all together. "It's going to be fine. You have me. I promise I won't leave."

Wiping her tears away, Lily nodded her head. "Okay."

She scooted closer toward her friend and put her head on his shoulder. She felt him tensed for a split second, before he relaxed again. She remembered thinking that even with her big brother Teddy gone, she would still have Tom with her. He promised he would never leave, and promises were important. That was what her father told her. Lily had known Tom all her life, ever since she was born. The boy had never lied to her, and he always kept all of his promises. Tom was the only constant present in her life for as long as she could, even more so than her blood family. She would be fine without Teddy, as long as she had Tom with her. Lily remembered that everyone was gushing about how cute it was to see how well she got along with Tom, almost like how Victoire did with Teddy. She also remembered how her father was the only who kept quiet, watching her best friend closely. It wasn't until years later that she found out why her father was watching Tom closely.

Because for a two-year-old, Tom's eyes were always so alert and cautious, scanning the whole place as if he was expecting for danger to come. And those eyes looked far too old in the body of two-year- old. It was the eyes of someone who had seen all of the horrors of the world.

It was the eyes of someone who had been to Hell and suffered for a few centuries there.

* * *

 _"Luna, we've been thinking… Would you become Lily's Godmother?"_

 _"W-why are you crying? Luna – "_

 _"Thank you. Thank you very much."_

 _"So, it's a yes? You'd become Lily's Godmother?"_

 _"Of course. It's an honour."_

* * *

Lily loved her family. She had a very cool mother who always understood how hard it was to be the only girl in a family of boys. She had the best father who knew how it felt to be different and constantly stood out among the crowd. She loved her brothers dearly because despite being a girl and younger than them, James and Albus never minded her presence. Then there were her uncles and aunts and cousins. They were all a loud bunch and she never felt bored when they were around. As an addition, she also had the Scamanders whom she had always considered as family. She was closer to the Scamanders than the Weasleys. She always felt like something was wrong with her, that she didn't really belong with her family. But it was okay. It didn't change the fact that she loved her family. When one by one, her family started to go to Hogwarts, Lily couldn't wait for her turn. Along with Tom and Hugo, she was the last one to leave. She spent her whole life picturing herself sitting with most of her relatives in Gryffindor, or probably in Ravenclaw like her cousins Molly and Roxanne and Louis.

When the Hat placed her in Slytherin, she felt her whole world ended.

She hadn't even left the stool when she heard people started to whisper about her. Except for her brother Albus and his best friend Scorpius, almost everyone from her family that were gathered in Gryffindor turned around when she looked at them. Even her big brother James, who always promised to protect her and Albus no matter what, merely gave her a small smile before tensely resuming his talk with Fred. Lily only felt better when two names later, Tom took a seat beside her at Slytherin's table. She felt him grabbed her hand as he scooted closer toward her, which was rather surprising because Tom _hated_ it when anyone breached his personal space. The rest of the Slytherins stared at her, looking wary. If she wasn't too busy wallowing her fate, she would have noticed the way Tom glared at the other Slytherins, and everyone else who was staring rudely at Lily, causing them to look away from the intensity in the First Year's eyes. Lily spent the rest of that night crying, thinking that there _must_ be something wrong with her. She didn't dare to tell her parents about her Sorting, fearing that her parents would be embarrassed. It was at Tom's insistence that she finally relented.

Her parents' reply, albeit supportive, meant little. Even if she was glad that at least her parents' reaction wasn't negative, it didn't stop the rest of her family from sending weird looks at her. Sure, after sometime, she knew they got over it. But Lily wasn't blind though. She saw how her uncles and aunts would talk about her in hushed tones, how her cousins would be reluctant to let her join them in their activities. The bullying didn't take long to begin, starting from name calling to pranks that gradually got worse. At first, she hoped that her cousins would make them stop. But the only ones who helped her were Albus, Scorpius, and Tom. Tom was practically glued to her side 24/7, and for that she was thankful. She knew he couldn't be there forever though. So after awhile, she stopped relying on anyone's help. She didn't even stand up for herself either. Lily merely kept her mouth shout and avoided everyone else. It became a mission for her to be invisible so she wouldn't be targeted by everyone else.

"You should tell your parents, you know," Tom said one day in their third year. "Tell them how everyone treats you. Tell them how your _family_ treats you."

The both of them were in the library together, having their dinner in secret lest Madam Pince would find out and flip on them. Tom had just served his detention for hexing someone who made fun of Lily. It was probably the millionth time for them to have that conversation ever since the bullying started. In a small voice, the girl said, "You know I can't, Tom."

"No, I _don't,_ " the boy snapped. His tone caused Lily to flinch, and her reaction caused him to soften. Sighing heavily, he continued. "It's been three years, Lily. You said it'd get better. _It doesn't, Lils._ If anything, it gets worse. Explain to me why you can't tell your parents."

This time, as she took her eyes off her book, it was Lily's turn to sigh. "I just _can't,_ okay? I don't have a particular reason. Call me a coward, an idiot, a masochist – _anything._ I won't tell my parents."

"But this can't go on. You can't let them get away with every horrible thing they've done to you. Your parents _have_ to know. You need to tell them how you're always bullied."

"And _you_ need to stop getting into detention."

"Stop making it about me. I have no problem with cleaning cauldrons. You, however, can't go on forever being dunked filthy water all the time. What if one day it wasn't just water, Lils? What if one day, it was a _potion_ that could fatally harm you?"

"You'd just punch them in the fact, wouldn't you? And get another detention."

"Dammit, Lily. I get detention because of you _._ Because I _care_ about you."

"Then maybe you should stop caring about me."

The moment the words left her mouth, Lily realised she'd made a mistake. For someone so young, Tom's face was almost always devoid of emotion. It had always been a subject that Harry Potter discussed many times with Luna Scamander, asking her about how did her son manage to learn how to put on a convincing poker face. Both Luna and her husband would just laugh it off, saying that it was probably something Tom inherited from his great Grandma Tina the Auror. Even Lily had to admit, as the one person whom Tom trusted so much, probably even more than his mother, it was sometimes hard for her to read him. But this time, upon hearing what Lily said, Tom looked _so hurt._ It wasn't for long though. The boy blinked once before adopting a cold look. Closing the book he was reading, he then proceeded to tidy his things in silence. In less than a minute, her _only_ friend in the whole world was getting off the seat beside her and headed out of the library.

"Shit," Lily said. She didn't even care that all of her things were still lying around when she started to run after her friend. "Tom! _Tom!_ Tom, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay? I… I didn't mean what I said. Thomas, _please._ D-don't go. Don't…don't leave me."

Her voice broke as tears threatened to fall, and only then did Tom stop walking. Turning to face her, he said, "Do you know how many people I hex daily _for_ you?"

His question caught her off guard.

"What do you – "

"At least four people, Lily," Tom continued. "That would make it around thirty each week. In a month, I'd have hexed over a hundred people. And that means, in the past three years, I've hexed almost four thousand people."

"I… What?" Lily said timidly, taken aback.

"Twelve years ago, I told you I would never leave you, didn't I? So, that means that you'll always have me. I would do _anything_ to protect you, to keep you safe and soun. And I'm keeping that promise, Lily. I always keep all of my promises, especially those I made to the people I care about. People who are important to me."

Lily's breath hitched. "I… I'm important to you?"

Tom frowned, tilting his head to the side in mild confusion. "Didn't I just say that?"

She had known Tom all of her life, probably since she was born. He'd always been important to _her._ He was her safety net, the person she ran to whenever she had problems. He was the one she could count on about anything _anytime_ she wanted. But she never thought that _she_ was important to him. As she looked up into his eyes, she realised two things for the time in the whole years of knowing the boy. Firstly, even though he'd always been taller than her, she realised how _tall_ Tom had become because she had to look all the way up to see those blue eyes of his. Secondly, she realised how true the girls in her year was. If there was one thing that she and her tormentors had in common, it was the fact that they all found Tom Scamander attractive. She knew she'd always felt something more than friendship for her dark-haired friend. But as she felt herself smiling at him, she finally knew what it was that she really felt for Tom.

 _("Mum? When was it did you realise that you loved Dad?")_

 _("My whole life, I've always been in love with Harry Potter. But, I think it was when he saved me in my second year. I'm a sucker for heroes, you know? And your father was so heroic, he left me with no choice. After all, don't we all want a dashing knight to help us warrior queens?")_

"Do you want to help me pack up my things?" Lily asked, hoping that she wasn't blushing too much. "We can continue our study back in the common room. And have dinner. I think everyone's already sleeping by now. We can ask Kreacher to make us something to eat."

Tom shrugged. "Sure. It's not like I can't ever say no to you."

And that was when Lily decided she was in love with Tom Scamander.

* * *

 _She was scared. She had never been so terrified in her entire life. As Marcus Tophorn ripped her buttons, Lily felt like her will to live died as seconds passed. Just the other week, she had a huge fight with Tom when he flipped because she tried to kill herself. They called each other horrible names, but what nearly made Tom snapped was when she challenged him to say why would he jump after her if she jumped off the Astronomy Tower. She waited for a long time, silently wishing for him to say the words that she'd been waiting for_ years. _When he failed to give her the answer she hoped for, she relented. They made up that night when Lily agreed to get off from the railing. But things were a little bit tense between them. She knew she shouldn't have left for breakfast alone that day, but she still felt a little awkward around him. So, against her better judgement, she went alone._

 _She wondered why no one heard her loud screaming._

 _"Shut up, you little bitch!" Tophorn yelled, breaking her right arm as he tried to pin her arms above her head. The pain was unbearable, and it only made her screamed louder._

 _"Please, stop," she begged. "Tophorn, don't…don't do this. I beg you…"_

 _"I'll stop once I have shagged you, Potter," the Ravenclaw hissed. "Now, stop fighting me or I promise I'll make it painful."_

 _"No, no, no! Oh, Merlin, no… Help! Help me, ple – TOM! TOM, PLEASE HELP ME!"_

 _"SHUT – UP!" He slammed Lily's head against the table twice as he screamed those two words. The last one was hard enough to crack her skull. Darkness started to consume her, and she was about to pass out when Tom came._

 _Her knight in Slytherin robes._

 _The last thing she remembered before she fainted was whispering Tom's name softly so he wouldn't eradicate Tophorn's existence._

* * *

It took her awhile to realise where she was and what had happened to her. She was thankful that it was already night when she woke up because she knew the light would upset the pounding in her head even more. Turning her head to the side, careful so she wouldn't hurt herself, Lily was shocked to find Tom sitting by her bedside on a chair that barely accomodated his tall and broad figure. At eighteen, Tom was already bigger and taller than Scorpius, who made Albus, the biggest and tallest person in her family, looked _small._ The handsome Head Boy's back was bent as he kissed her good hand solemnly, his larger ones clasped around hers tightly, as if his life depended on it. Lily squeezed Tom's hand, which surprised the slightly older boy. His pale-blue eyes went to look into her own blue ones frantically, and Lily felt a tug in her heart at the look in her friend's eyes. Like what she'd realised since she was thirteen, Tom had always been her constant; her safety-net, her knight-in-shining-armour. He always protected her, and in all the years she knew him since they were babies, she'd only ever seen him this shaken up when he thought his mother was going to die from food poisoning. Reaching out to touch his cheek, she smiled fondly when the usually-stoic boy leaned into her touch once he got over his shock over her waking up.

"Tom, it's okay. I'm here. I'm okay," she reassured him, his behaviour making it apparent that he wasn't sure she was going to make it before.

Tom let out a shuddering breath as he burried his face into her hair, showing the first sign of vulnerability for the first time in the seventeen years they knew each other. " _Never leave_ ," he croaked out, voice cracking. "You cannot just come into my life and…and made me the happiest I've ever been in my whole _lives_ and – "

Even though it nearly sent her unconscious again when she suddenly lifted her head up to look at him, she couldn't help herself. Her jaw slacked at his little slip-up as Tom seemed to realise his mistake as well. His alabaster skin, almost as pale as Scorpius', darkened slightly with the furious blush that slowly took over, illuminated by the moonlight in the dark. Lily noticed right at that moment, Tom looked like he'd aged almost _a century._

"What do you mean, Tom?" Lily inquired softly. She waited, one hand still clasped in Tom's long-fingered hands.

"Just promise me, my little flower; don't you _ever_ leave me," Tom whispered, giving her hand another kiss. "I can't bear to live alone. _Not again._ "

Before Lily could ask what did he mean by 'not again', she suddenly felt sleepy. The next thing she knew, she had fallen into a deep slumber. But unlike her usual sleep, which was always plagued with dreams and worries regarding how much of a failure she was, this time she dreamed of her saviour. _Her Tom._ In her dream, she was having breakfast with her parents, and her whole family finally accepted her for who she was. Tom, as always, was sitting beside her, the only constant figure in her life. Lily had no idea how long she was asleep. She only knew that the next time she opened her eyes, her parents were smothering her with parental nonsense. From over her mother's shoulder, Lily saw Tom standing by the door, his whole composure stiff as he leaned on the wall, his hands were crossed in front of his chest. It was obvious that he tried his best to look small and harmless in front of her parents, which would make sense because if she remembered correctly, Tom was very close from murdering Tophorn with at least a dozen hexes that Lily was sure had been outlawed for over half a century. Her attention was taken off Tom though, the moment she heard her father, the _great_ Harry Potter, cleared his throat.

"How long?" her father asked, clenching his jaw. Glancing at Tom, who quickly looked away, it wasn't hard for her to realise what her father meant. A part of her felt a bit betrayed that Tom had gone behind her back and told her parents _everything,_ even though she knew it was for the best _._

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lily answered in a small voice. She was sure something broke when her father punched the wall beside him.

"DAMMIT, LILY; _ANSWER ME!_ " Harry Potter yelled, his infamous temper making its rare appearance in front of his child. "TELL ME HOW LONG _I_ HAVE BEEN KEPT IN THE DARK ABOUT HOW MY OWN _DAUGHTER_ IS TREATED HORRIBLY. I WANT NAMES THAT I CAN SUE. PEOPLE I CAN SEND TO AZKABAN."

"Harry, you're scaring her," Ginny reprimanded, glaring at her husband as she wrapped her arms around Lily protectively when the young girl tried her best to not shrink in fear. "She's _hurt_ , for Merlin's sake. Don't yell at her."

"My daughter almost got _raped,_ Gin," Harry spat, whirling to his wife. "And before that, people made her life a living hell for something she had no control of - _and no one told me anything about it._ I had to find out after my daughter nearly died from _Kreacher,_ for Merlin's sake. And even then, it was Tom who told me what really happened – _seven years too late!_ So, don't tell me what I can or cannot do. _"_

When Ginny put her hands on her hips, it was then that Lily realised just how _scary_ her mother could be when she was pissed off.

"You think I'm not angry about it? Let me tell you something, Harry James Potter. I'm so fucking _livid,_ McGonagall should be glad her school hasn't blown up in flames yet. I'm a _mother,_ Harry. Whenever my child is hurt, I feel the pain a billion times worse. No one in this whole universe is as livid as me. Not even you, _Mr Saviour_. So, if you can't keep your temper down, you better leave because I'm not having you yell at _my_ daughter when she's hurt like this."

Harry seemed to realise his mistake because his anger subsided. Sighing heavily, he pinched the bridge of his nose as he lowered himself onto his seat tiredly. He took Lily's good hand and patted it gently, giving the girl a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Lils. I didn't mean to scare you. I just… You have to understand that every parents' nightmare is to find out that their daughter is almost raped, and is dying because the bastard hurt her terribly too. If it weren't for you mother, I'd have done something regrettable to Tophorn."

"I get it, Dad," Lily answered. "And I'm sorry that I never told you the truth. It's just… _so hard_ for me to imagine how it'd break your heart to find out how tough things were for me. No child wants her parents to find out how the world hates her."

"Oh, my sweet child," Ginny cooed, hugging her daughter. "We're sorry for never realising it. I know that everyone doesn't like the fact that you're a Slytherin. But I never thought things were _that_ bad. We should have done something earlier. _I_ should have done something."

"It's not your fault, Mum. You couldn't have known for sure."

The former Chaser smiled sadly and kissed Lily's forehead. "Your father and I love you _so much,_ Lils. Don't scare us like that again, okay? Please, no more secrets between us. If anything bad happens to you, you bet your arse that we'll take care of it. Together."

"All right, Mum. I promise no more secrets. I love you too, Mum, Dad."

"My little princess…" Harry whispered before gathering both his wife and daughter in his arms. "I love you so much, Lily Luna."

* * *

 _"So, when are you going to tell your mother that you're dating itty, bitty Tommy Scamander?"_

 _"Mum! Seriously, we're…we're not dating."_

 _"What? You must be joking, dear. I mean, that boy nearly killed your rapist. He was the only reason your father didn't kill Tophorn because Harry had to pull some strings to prevent_ him _getting dragged to Azkaban for attempted murder. The kid watched you like a guard-dog, ready to fight off the Devil himself for you. And I saw the look in his eyes. He's got the same look your father has for me."_

 _"W-what… What do you mean?"_

 _"Honey, your best friend is in love with you. Probably has been for a long time. Just like you have been in love with him for ages."_

 _A beat, then, "You really think so, Mummy? You really think Tom loves me?"_

 _"I swear to Merlin, that kid will go to the end of the world for you."_

* * *

"Tom?" Lily called out, peering over her Charms book to look at her best friend. It had been three days since she was raped, and she was due to be released in a few days.

"Yeah?" Tom replied, taking his eyes off the Evening Prophet that he was reading.

"Can I talk to you about something?" the redhead said, swallowing thickly.

Tom cocked an eyebrow but nodded his head, putting away the papers so he could focus on Lily. "Of course. What is it, Lils?"

Lily felt her heart thundered in her chest, and it made it hard for her to speak. But she had to do it. _She had to._ Taking a deep breath, she prayed that she could get through with it before choking over her own words. "I… I want to ask you something, Tom."

Tilting his head to the side, Tom said, "And that is?"

"What am I to you, Tom? I mean… We have known each other for over a decade now. W-what do you think of me? What do I mean to you, Tommy?"

Right then and there, at the use of his childhood nickname, Tom froze. He paled a little bit as he turned his head around, suddenly he seemed to be completely interested with the bed across Lily's. It felt like ages for the redhead-turned-blonde when he finally spoke softly. "What do you… Lily Luna, you mean _everything_ to me. Dammit, but my whole life _revolves_ around you. From the moment you were born, you're the reason that I am. Other than my parents, you're the one I dedicate my life to, Lils. You mean that much to me. I can't… I can't imagine a life without you. I can't _live_ without you. You're important to me, Lily. I told you that four years ago. You always ha – "

"I love you," Lily blurted out, tears faling profusely down her face.

Tom whipped his head around to face her, his face paling a little bit. He had a scared look on his face, like a little boy that he'd never really was. "I- I beg you pardon?"

Taking his bigger hand with her newly-healed one, Lily put it on her chest, right where her heart was. "Do you feel that, Tom?" Lily whispered, earning an awkward nod from her best friend, who looked like he was fighting the urge to blush.

"I do," Tom said stiffly. "That's your heartbeat."

Lily nodded her head, her smile widened. "You're right. And I promise you, until my heart stops beating for you, I will _never_ stop loving you. I promise I will stay with you, that I'll never leave you. That is, if you promise the same thing to me."

Tom Scamander was a peculiar child. Since he was a kid, he rarely smiled, even to those he claimed to care the most. But when he finally processed what Lily just said, his lips pulled into a beautiful smile, which slowly transformed into a wide a grin before he let out a small chuckle. He pulled his hand gently from Lily's grip to tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, his pale blue eyes were showing all the love he had for her. There was a mischievous look in those eyes though, as he leaned closer toward her.

"If I promise you that I'll live my life only to love you, will you let me kiss you?" Tom asked, giving her a wink that earned him a laugh from her.

 _("Why do mummies and daddies kiss, Tommy?")_

 _("I don't know and I don't want to know. Kissing is simply disgusting.")_

Leaning even closer toward him, until their lips were less than an inch apart, Lily said, "And here I thought you hated kissing. I distinctly recall someone thought kissing to be disgusting."

"Well, you can change my mind about it, Lils."

It was safe to say, Lily certainly changed Tom's mind.

 _Seven times._

* * *

" _Do you know about it?"_

 _"About our children?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Sure. And I know you've always known too."_

 _"Now that I think about it, you're right, Luna."_

 _"Of course, I am. We're mothers, Gin. We_ always _know._ "

 _("Know about what, love?")_

* * *

Lily was in love.

She had been in love since she was a child. She would always be in love until Tom _wished_ her to stop.

But, judging from the way he kissed her her as if he would _die_ if he wasn't, Lily knew there was no way that Tom would ever stop loving her.

They had been together for five months now, and they had just graduated just a month before. The only ones who knew about their relationship were Ginny, Albus and Tom's parents. Ever since Lily's release from the Hospital, Harry had become incredibly protective whenever a boy got too close to Lily. Unfortunately, that included Tom, the boy whom the Auror had known since he was born. Lily and Tom knew that Harry wouldn't react nicely if he found that his daughter who was recently nearly got raped had gone on dating even _before_ she was released from the Hospital. So they had no choice but to keep it a secret until they found the right time to tell Harry about it. The week after graduation, Tom moved out of his parents' house to live in a small flat in Muggle-London. He chose that place specifically because if Lily ever came to visit him in his flat, Harry wouldn't find out about it because the Head Auror rarely ventured outside of the wizarding world unless he was on a mission or was taking his family on a holiday. The flat was also strategically closer to the entrance of St Mungo's, where Tom had begun his training just two days after he started to settle down. Lily herself was working with her brother Albus and his best friend Scorpius in the new branch of Malfoy Enterprise, which specialised in inventions. After only a few weeks of working, she found that she really enjoyed her job, _and_ that Draco Malfoy was a great boss – an opinion that she shared with Albus and kept a secret from the rest of their family.

What with Harry's work as a Head Auror and the long hours he worked, especially now that he had grown-up children, Lily took it as a chance to practically move in with Tom. Ginny and Albus knew about it, and they tried their best to cover it up whenever Harry unexpectedly came home when Lily wasn't there, saying that Lily was staying with Albus in his own flat. During the weekends, when Lily didn't have to visit her parents, Tom and Lily spent the majority of their time together in Tom's bed, wearing matching pyjamas that Albus bought them as a joke. Some days they would be doing nothing but reading any Muggle book Tom's father sent them. Tom would sit on his bed, leaning on the stacked pillows behind him with Lily situated in his lap. They would sometime argue about the book, discussing whether it was good or not, and analysing it. Other days, when Lily felt particularly naughty, she would throw the book away and catch her boyfriend off his guard with a deep kiss. And _every single time,_ Tom would laugh earnestly against her lips before he kissed her in return with everything he had. They had never crossed that line though, no matter how much Lily was aware that Tom _wanted_ it. Oh, she had felt _it,_ alright. She knew Tom wanted her just as much as she wanted him, if not more. But Tom insisted that they _had_ to wait until marriage.

The first time he said that, Lily laughed so hard for a _long_ time, that Tom ended up getting so offended, he refused to talk to her for almost three hours.

For some reason, Tom was adamant about the old customs. In fact, if she remembered correctly what transpired during the past few months they dated, Tom acted like a gentleman straight out of her mother's old books from the mid twentieth century. He would open doors for her, would take her hand gently and help to get off her seat. He even went as far as asking Kreacher to deliver breakfast in bed for her, because everyone knew that the grumpy old House Elf had a soft spot for the youngest Potter. Lily was sure that if she allowed him to, Tom had no problem about carrying her all over the place. At first, she thought it was something that his parents told him about. But the one time she tried writing about it to Luna, the woman wrote in return that neither she nor her husband ever told their son about the proper ways to court anyone. Lily had even wrote to her mother in secret, asking whether Harry had ever romanced her the way Tom did. Ginny replied that Harry hadn't had the slightest idea about how to woo a girl even if someone yelled about it in his ears. Both Ginny and Luna were incredibly impressed though, which made Lily a bit proud of her boyfriend.

It no longer mattered to Lily where Tom had learned about how to treat a girl. For all she knew, he could have been reading all those cheesy romantic novels when she wasn't looking, and had been taking notes in secrets.

It no longer mattered because one day, the man had gone down on one knee in front of her in his room, holding a beautiful ring that he said was an old Scamander heirloom his mother had given to him, waiting for her answer to his proposal. Lily had actually stopped listening the moment he lowered himself on his knee, too starstruck other than to process the thought that Tom, the love of her life, was asking her to marry him. Obviously, even _Lord Voldemort_ knew that she would say yes. But Tom didn't seem to think so. He was rambling on and on, saying that he understood if she felt it was too fast, that he would be willing to wait for her. Lily found it cute that the ever confident Tom Scamander was that nervous over proposing to her. She decided to take a pity on him and relieved him off his suffering. So she cut his rant short and told him yes, saying that she had always wanted to marry him since she was a thirteen.

Lily liked to think that she'd seen every form of emotion on Tom's face. Growing up with him, he was sure that she'd seen him from sad to happy to angry. But as Tom's jaw almost dropped onto the floor, his eyes wide as saucers, Lily found that she'd never seen the guy looked that shocked. He never failed to have this incredibly calm and collected mannerism. Even on the rare times that he was caught off guard, his intelligence allowed him to give an instant and proper respond. Lily watched in fascination as the shock morphed into joy, as a huge smile took over and an earnest laughter escaped Tom's lips. Letting out a small laugh herself, Lily gave out her hand to Tom, winking at him as she waved the hand in front of his face. Tom was practically buzzing in happiness when he put the ring on her, before giving Lily's hand a kiss. When he kissed her, it was a sweet yet passionate kiss, and she knew that Tom had hoped the kiss could convey everything he felt better than he what could put into words.

"Are you ready?" Tom asked, his tone gentle and calm despite the obvious anxiety Lily noticed he had. It was Harry's birthday party, held in the Burrow as what was customary between the Potter-Weasley family. Lily had decided that would be the right time for her to tell her father and everyone in her family about her relationship with Tom. But it didn't mean she was any less nervous.

"Yeah," Lily said in a small voice, her breathing quickened when she heard her father's laughter. But she took a deep breath, and knew that whatever happened, at least she still had Tom. Giving her fiancé a reassuring smile, she said, "Come on, love. Let's get this over with."

Lily pushed the door to the Burrow and entered with Tom following behind her, his hand grasped tightly in her own. The house was cramped with family already, along with some friends. She saw her mother and aunts were helping Grandma Molly with the food, carefully Levitating all the plates and bowls and glasses into the air and directed them out to the backyard, where the dinner would be held. Grandpa Arthur was engaged in a conversation with Teddy and Victoire Lupin, his great-grandson Remus the second was sitting in his lap. On the other corner of the room, her uncle Ron was interrogating Scorpius Malfoy, who had come with Lily's cousin Rose, the former Auror's daughter. The blond looked perfectly calm, although judging from the way he kept on tapping on his thigh, Lily knew he was nervous. A lot of her family members were missing, and she suspected they were helping in the backyard with the tables and chairs. She then saw Tom's parents talking with her Professor-slash-Uncle Neville, and in the kitchen were her brothers, the both of them looking almost like twins from afar. Albus was the first one to notice her, beckoning her to come closer. Nodding at Tom, they both went toward the Potter boys, who weren't exactly children anymore.

James was an Auror like their father, with a fiancée whom he met from work. Her name was Evangeline Wood, daughter of Oliver Wood. Lily saw both father and daughter outside from the window in the kitchen, and they were helping George Weasley with his fireworks. When Lily was thirteen and James seventeen, the eldest Potter child realised that he had been wrong in pushing his sister away just because she got Sorted into Slytherin. Ever since then, James had been doing his best to mend the relationship between the two of them. He was ready to fly out to Azkaban himself when he heard about Tophorn's attempted rape on his sister, and if it weren't for Evangeline, he might have done it to kill that creep. Even though she didn't approve it, Lily was secretly glad that James was willing to kill someone on her behalf. Still though, she was still a lot closer to Albus than James. Albus who was now eyeing Neville's daughter from the corner of his eyes. Lily had known for a long time that Albus had feelings for Alicia Longbottom, who was best friends with Rose. But where their older brother was confident to the point of it being annoyingly cocky, Albus was incredibly shy. He'd told her a few times that the reason he hadn't asked Alicia yet was because he was afraid that it would ruin their friendship. Lily thought it was dumb. She saw the way the Ravenclaw often eyed her brother. It was obvious that the feeling wasn't one-sided.

"So, when are you going to tell me you're humping my sister, Scamander?" James said flippantly, smirking from over his bottle of Firewhiskey when he saw the way Lily blushed furiously. "I mean, you were my _nurse_ the last time I was in St Mungo's."

Tom, bless him, was quick with an answer already. "I would have told you a lot sooner, James, if your woman wasn't trying to swallow your tongue the moment you were awake from being concussed. And besides, if you have to know, I haven't been _humping_ Lily. Unlike you, I am a dignified gentleman."

Both James and Albus laughed quite loud at the respond. "Damn, kid. I knew I befriended you for a reason," Albus chuckled. "Can I trade you with James?"

"Fuck off, Al," James said, punching his brother by the shoulder, still with a grin on his face. Taking another sip of his drink, he turned his attention to his sister. "How long have you been together, sis? I know this hasn't happened on Christmas."

"A bit over five months," Lily replied carefully. James was always good with numbers, and she knew it wouldn't be long before he realised when exactly the relationship began between Lily and Tom.

True enough, James' expression darkened a bit as realisation set on him. But one warning look from Albus, the Auror controlled himself and gave a Lily a small smile. He reached out for Lily's hand and held it in his. "You know what, I'd always known that one day, you'd make Scamander here our family for real. You've always been close with hi – "

James froze as his eyes landed on the ring around Lily's finger. Only then did both Lily and Tom realise that she hadn't taken the ring off since the day Tom proposed to her. They'd planned to make the announcement as careful as possible, and that would mean the ring wouldn't make an appearance until after they told everyone that they were together. Beside James, Albus seemed just as surprised when he saw the ring too, knowing what it meant. Despite him having approved of the relationship, Lily knew that Albus probably hadn't expected her to be engaged so soon. James was four years older than he was, and he had only gotten engaged a year ago. Heck, even their second-oldest cousin Dominique had no boyfriend _or_ girlfriend yet, and she liked both. Albus was the first one to get over it though, clearing his throat in an attempt to distract James from flipping out. It seemed to be working because when James looked up at Tom, he didn't look like he was going to murder the taller guy.

"When did you ask her?" James asked slowly, his hand still holding Lily's. For a moment, Lily felt like she was a little child again, with her overly-protective brother surrounding her.

"A week ago," Tom replied calmly, his blue eyes never left James'. When he spoke again, he spoke in the same voice he had when Lily woke up after the accident with Tophorn. "James, Albus, I love her. I've loved Lily since we were kids. Hell, I've probably loved her from the moment she was born, when I was barely a year old and my mother showed her to me. I care about her, and I can't live without her. I promise that I'll treat her right, because that's what she deserves. She deserves to be treated like a Queen. And I understand if you think we're moving to fast, and I agree the marriage can wait a couple more years. But my feelings for her won't change."

"Well shit," Albus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly. But he had a smile on his face that was gradually getting bigger as he reached out and ruffled Tom's hair. "Now how am I going to yell at you after that heartfelt speech."

"True, True," James said, also smiling. "I suppose, Albus and I have no choice but to give you both our blessings, huh?"

"Blessings?" a voice said right before Lily could give her brother a reply, causing her to freeze up.

"Dad," Albus almost squeaked, forcing himself to sound cheery. "Where were you? Uncle Nev was looking for y –"

Harry Potter raised his hand up with the hand that wasn't holding his drink, silencing his second-born effectively. His uncanny green eyes, so much like Lily's favourite brother's eyes, were drilling into her own blue ones. Lily's breath caught in her throat when she noticed Harry lowered his eyes and landed on the ring on Lily's hand, the one James was still holding onto. It rested there for almost half a minute before he snapped his head to side, _glaring_ at Tom who at least had the decency to look away. Lily always knew that despite being best friends with Luna and was rather close with Rolf as well, Harry never really liked Tom. He was always tense whenever he saw the boy hung around his daughter. Tom himself always seemed to be the least comfortable with Harry, even though he tried his best to be polite to the Head Auror for the sake of his parents and Lily. No one ever really questioned Harry about it though, passing it on as something that over-protective fathers did about boys who got too close to their daughters. But now that Lily thought about it, she realised that the only reason Harry tolerated Tom was because the guy always had Lily's best interest at heart. Deep down, she always knew that both her father and her lover had never liked each other.

"Lily, what's the meaning of all this?" Harry said coolly, his tone sounded alien in Lily's ears. From the corner of her eye, she saw Albus and James left the room, probably to find their mother. " _Please_ don't tell me what I think this is all about."

"Mr Potter – "

"Silent, boy," Harry snapped, his glare never wavering from the tall Slytherin. "I'm talking to _my_ daughter. You better shut your mouth unless I speak to you."

"Dad, please," Lily said, placing herself between Tom and Harry as she reached out to hold on her father's hand. "Dad, listen to me first. I'll explain everything to you."

"When did he ask you?" Harry asked harshly. "How long have you been seeing him?"

"We…we've been going out for five months. He only asked me a week ago tho – "

 _"A week ago?"_ Harry exclaimed loudly, attracting everyone's attention. "And you've been going out for _five_ months? Without telling me?"

"Y-you… I didn't think you'd like it – "

" _Damn right, I don't like it, young woman!"_ the Auror bellowed. At the same time, the glass he'd been holding broke in his hand.

"HARRY!" Ginny's voice echoed, suddenly already appearing beside her husband. "Harry, you're making a scene! We have guests, for Merlin's sake!"

"Tell them to leave then," Harry spat, eyes narrowed. "Tell them I have an important matter to discuss with my _daughter_."

"I agree, this is important. But can't it wait? Until after the par – "

"Break it off," the Auror said to his daughter again, ignoring his wife completely. "I want you to break it off, Lily. Do it or I'm going to disown you."

"Harry!"

"Dad!"

"I mean it, Lily. I will never give you my blessing if you're to marry him."

"You can't do that! I'm an adult! I can do whatever I want."

"Then I'm going to disown you. If you're going to insist on this, then you leave me no choice but to do this because I am _not_ having him as a son-in-law."

"Mr Pot – "

"And _you!_ " Turning his attention back to Tom, the renown Saviour looked like he was just a hex away from killing his best friend's child. "What are you planning on, _Tom?_ Huh? Tell me. Are you doing this to get back at me? _After twenty fucking eight years?_ "

Even as she noticed that people had started to gather outside of the kitchen, Lily saw something flashed in Tom's eyes. For the first time ever since she knew him, Tom looked downright petrified. He looked even more shaken than that day after the incident with Tophorn. He blinked his eyes a couple times, swallowing heavily before he spoke in a small voice.

"Y-you _knew_?" Tom practically whispered. "All this time, you knew?"

"Tom?" Lily said, looking at her fiancé who never took his eyes off her father. "Tom, what are you talking about?"

At the same time, Ginny was questioning her husband. "Harry, what did you mean? _Twenty eight years_? What had happened?"

Neither Harry nor Tom seemed to care. The Auror clenched his jaw and nodded. "Of course _._ I've always known, Tom. _Always._ "

"But how…?"

"I only know _one_ other person with eyes like yours."

Tom staggered in his feet, nearly collapsing onto the floor if Lily wasn't standing beside him. He let out a shaky breath as he ran a hand through his hair, his whole body shaking. It was right at that moment when Luna came into the kitchen, head tilted to the side as she eyed both her best friend and her son closely.

"Tom, are you okay? Harry, you seem upset. What's happened? Gin?" Luna said, turning her head to Ginny, who looked just as confused. Again, Tom and Harry didn't seem to acknowledge anyone but each other.

"Does she know?" Harry said quietly, barely audible. "Does your _mother_ know?"

"Do I know what?"

"No," Tom answered. "No one knows but you. And I'd like to keep it that way."

"Then you leave my daughter alone. Leave and never return."

"Dad, stop it. I'm marrying Tom and that's it. He's going nowhe – "

"Fine," Tom said, surprising everyone in the room, even Harry. "I'll do it."

" _What?"_ Lily shrieked. "You just proposed to me last week and now you're planning on leaving me just because my father told you? What happened with you not being able to live without me?"

"You bastard," Harry growled. "You told her _that_? I'm going to _murder_ you."

That made Lily snapped.

"That's it, Dad. I'm leaving. _We'_ re leaving. Until you stop this nonsense, consider me _disowned._ " Pulling on Tom's hand as she made her way out through the living room, she said, "Come on, Tom. Let's go."

"Wait, Lily," the former Head Boy said, planting his feet firmly on the ground to stop her. "Lily, listen to me. You can't do this. You can't just cut your father off like that. Not for me."

"And this is exactly _why_ I'm doing this. Now, come on. I can't stand spending another second here."

"Lily, stop. _Please._ Your father's right. We…we can't do this."

Lily could only stare at him in disbelief. Just an hour ago, he told her that he would rather _die_ than to live without her. She tried to look into his eyes, but Tom's eyes were dead set on his feet, refusing to meet her stare. Lily knew that there was something he was hiding from her. Something to monumentally big that her father knew. That much was obvious. She then turned back to Harry, who had Ron and Hermione standing on each of his sides warrily, both of them ready to stop Harry from doing anything everyone would regret. Crossing her arm in front of her chest, Lily couldn't help but to glare at her father as she spoke to him. "All right. I've always known you dislike Tom since we were both kids. Why don't we talk about this now? Tell _Luna_ over there why do you dislike her son?"

Harry snorted, rolling his eyes as he casually tapped his wand on his bleeding palm. "Why did you ask me, Lils? Why don't you ask your _darling_ Tommy yourself?"

"Don't turn this back on me. I'm asking _you_ , Dad. Answer me."

" _Harry, please_ ," Tom said softly, pleading. It was probably the only time Lily had ever heard Tom calling her father by his first name. Harry eyed him for a second before shrugging, some of the hostility he had toward Tom lessened.

"Sorry, Lily. Your Tommy said no. And since he's been kind enough to do what I want, I'll be generous in return and keep his secret."

Lily shook her head, letting out a mirthless chuckle. "This is ridiculous. I can't believe you can't give me one decent reason. I understand if this was _Scorpius_. I get that you hated his father. And even then, you _like_ Scorpius. You support Rose and reprimanded Uncle Ron when he was terrorising Scorp. But why _couldn't_ you do the same to Tom? You know him since he was a child, Dad."

This time, it was Harry's turn to laugh mirthlessly. His laughter got louder and harder, to the point of it sounding hysterical. He then shook his head, throwing a look at the whole room who was watching him as if he'd gone mad. "You don't even know, do you? _None_ of you realise it. It's the eyes, dammit. Those fucking _bright blue eyes._ "

"Enough," Lily said coolly as she grabbed on Tom's hand again. "I have enough with all of this. Goodbye, Dad."

" _LILY!"_

But she'd Apparated away with Tom.

* * *

 _Dear Lily,_

 _I left. I know. And I understand if you hate me for this, but I have to. I cannot be the one responsible for everything to fall apart between you and your family. You've suffered so much, love. As you read this letter, you're probably cursing me. You probably wish you'd never known me. And that's okay. It's better if you forget me anyway. Please. Forget that I've ever been in your life._

 _I know I owe you an explanation. I'm a coward though. I can't tell you the truth. I won't be able too if I were to look into your eyes. You'd hate me, and I want to remember your smile when I remember you for the rest of my wretched life. So, I'm writing you this letter, to explain everything to you._

 _I knew your father already. Way, way before you were born. I've known him back since he was a baby. Since he was only a year old, to be precise. I was a monster back then. I murdered thousands. Men, women, children. And then there was a prophecy about a child that would kill me. Your father was that child. I tried to kill him when he was only a year old. I hunted his family, killed his parents. But I failed to kill him. I came back to kill him again when he was almost fifteen. I killed his friend instead._

 _The next year, I set out a trap to kill him again. But the only thing I succeeded was killing his Godfather. The War broke out when he was seventeen. I killed almost everyone he loved, people who stood in the way between him and I. He was almost eighteen when he killed me. However, for some reason, I didn't die. I was given a second chance. And I'll admit, at first, I'd planned using this second chance to destroy the world and everyone who had destroyed me – starting from your father. But this second life I've lived turned out for the better._

 _I have Luna. I have Rolf. I have you._

 _I know love now. I understand it. I get it why your father fought so hard and was willing to give up his life for those he loved. And it's why I'm doing this. I love you, Lily. I love you so much, that I'm willing to let you go. I'm bad for you. I don't deserve you. Your father was right. So, I bid you adieu, my love. If you wish to forget me, to forever hate me, that's fine. Let it be my burden to remember you always, to love and cherish our memories together. I deserve that. I deserve so much worse after everything I've done in the past._

 _I love you, Lils. Please give my love to my parents too._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Tom Newton Scamander_

 _Tom Marvolo Riddle_

 _Lord Voldemort_

 _The Dark Lord_


End file.
